creepy crawlies

When we were younger me and my brother used to rip the wings off greenfly. One time to stop us from torturing one my mum told us we should look after him and his name was Peter. For years we believed that all greenfly were called 'Peter'.

Mich

I grew up in the West Indies, and we had tarantulas in the neighbourhood. I was terrified of them, and worried that I would have one in my room one night. I asked my father what they sounded like, and he said "like someone snoring.' I shared my room with my brother. Who snored. I didn't sleep for five years.

Anon

Someone told me, as a child, that a hair, once swallowed, turned into a worm.
This was apparently to keep me from putting my long hair into my mouth:-)

BJ

I used to think that moths spent the entire day flying towards the Sun, that's why they weren't seen in the day. Then at night, when the Sun went down, they flew back towards the Earth and that's why they were all gathered around people's security lights & stuff. To be honest I'm still not entirely convinced that that isn't actually the case. I'm 26 years old.

Rob G

When I was a kid my dad ground up fruit flies to get at their imaginal discs, which were involved with development of the legs and wings in the adults. I tried to get him to explain this once, and ended up convinced that they were "imaginary" discs (I asked what they looked like, and he said you couldn't see them). For years I couldn't understand the point of grinding them up.

Heather

When I was little I was always told not to step on any spiders,bugs were okay but not spiders.If you did it would rain the next day,an odd childhood belief I had but I am suprised that children today,and from different parts of the world believe this myth as well.

Gary Little

My brother told his two little girls that the racing snails in the Guinness adverts were really valuable, and that if they ever found any racing snails in the garden they should put them in their pockets and bring them to him so that he could make lots of money. I dread to think of the state of their coat pockets...

Vicky

My friends and I all used to believe that any flying insect with any red colouring was a "blood sucker" and you weren't to let it land on you or it would suck your blood and you would die. Ladybirds were not blood suckers!

Anon

my mum told me that Bees had pointy bums and that was why they could sting you and yes I believed that for years until I told a boyfriend and he nearly wet himself laughing at me.

Anon

My cousin once gave me the impression that ants 'came from' sugar (what I think now she must have said was 'came for' sugar).

So I spent my childhood years thinking that sugar was actually ants eggs(!)

srp

That if you picked up worms, you would get warts.

Mandie

After being told by my older borther, I used to believe that little moths crawl in your ears and eat your brains when you are asleep

Mandie

My Nana told me that moths lay eggs in your hair. I still hate moths to this day.

Paula

I read a book about worms and misread the word tape as tap. I then thought that taps had worms living in them and had to look up the tap before I turned it on.

Pip